Title: Every Hour until Then
Author: Gabrielle Meyer
Series: Timeless, book 5
Major Themes: Victorian Era, Historical, Time-Crossing, Mysteries
Synopsis: As a time-crosser, Kathryn lives in the late-1800s and mid-1900s simultaneously, and when she discovers her sister is going to be killed by Jack the Ripper, she must figure out how to save her sister—or die in the attempt.
I’ve enjoyed following along with the Timeless series ever since book one came out in 2022. I remember reading that first story and being enthralled by the characters, the setting, and the fun and unusual twist on time travel. I loved it so much that when I finished reading When the Day Comes at a friend’s place, I spent the next 15 minutes or so giving her a rundown of this story that I couldn’t get out of my head. I’ve eagerly picked up each subsequent book since then, and when I saw that Every Hour until Then was about to hit the shelves, I got my hands on a copy as soon as possible. This book is, once again, another excellent addition to the series.
Publisher’s description:
Gifted with the ability to time-cross between Victorian-era London and World War II Washington, DC, Kathryn faces two lives fraught with danger. In 1938 amid the looming shadow of war, Kathryn is invited to the London Museum as a guest curator to create a groundbreaking exhibit on Jack the Ripper and his reign of terror. As she delves into her grim research, she uncovers a chilling truth: Her own sister is destined to become the Ripper’s final victim decades earlier.
In 1888, in a race against fate, Kathryn is assisted by her handsome childhood friend in hunting down history’s most elusive killer. As they unravel the threads of mystery woven through time, Kathryn must decide if she’ll unmask the murderer history has chosen to hide, forfeiting a life with the man she loves to save her sister.
My thoughts:
After being somewhat disappointed by Across the Ages, book four in the series, I admit I was a little nervous going into Every Hour until Then. The first three books in the series felt complete together—Across the Ages was a big enough departure from the initial books that while I enjoyed it, I missed the beloved characters and setting from the first three. It felt more like a standalone than a continuation of the series, so I was curious how this story would go—and to my delight, the main character in this story was connected to the characters in the first three books, so I got to find out what happened “next” for them!
One part of this book that I thoroughly appreciated was the way this story explored the history surrounding Jack the Ripper. He is someone I remember hearing about briefly somewhere along the line, but I never took the time to do much research into him. This book brings his string of murders—and the context surrounding those murders—to life, without going into much gruesome detail. I found that fascinating, even if it is horrifying to think of what his victims went through in their deaths.
Then, too, this is a portrait of the world right before the Second World War—that context was interesting to see, as people were just starting to pick sides either for or against Hitler. I also found all the discussions about Freemasonry interesting, even if not all the conclusions were substantiated; that’s a topic not generally touched on in Christian fiction.
The only thing I struggled somewhat with was the feminist undertones of the book—that came through fairly strongly, and parts of it almost felt out of place for the setting.
Every Hour until Then was a fast-paced, gripping portrait of two very different and yet not so very different parts of English and world history. As with the other books in the series, this book falls under the historical romance category, and I found that part of the story both sweet and endearing. If you enjoy stories that grip your imagination and lead you on a wild, unpredictable adventure—while delivering clean romance and memorable characters, I’d recommend you check out this book and the rest of the Timeless series. I enjoyed the story, and I’m looking forward to what book six has to offer when it comes out!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.
WARNING: There is some unmarried touching (holding hands, a hug, a few times of ballroom-style dancing, etc.) throughout the book, as well as several kisses. Characters lie sometimes as they work on solving the mystery. Also, occasionally, there are 2-3 sentence descriptions of how murder victims were found—gruesome, but not overly detailed. Chapter 3: Good heavens. Chapter 11: Good gracious, a woman lives with a man she’s not married to. Chapter 13: Infernal. Chapter 18: Good heavens. Chapter 30: Woman’s life threatened.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
